Early Weaning causes lifelong aggression in cats

Join any cat forum and you’ll often see posts seeking help as their cat is displaying signs of inappropriate behaviour. Outside of inappropriate marking and defecation, aggression is the most common reason for cat abandonment

Despite best efforts and support some kittens/ cats become unsuitable for indoor living. This can be avoided by your decision to bring home a kitten after 15 weeks of age.

At TLT, the earliest a kitten leaves us is 17 weeks. Imported kittens leave their mums around 15 weeks of age and not earlier. This is what happens when you remove a kitten from a mother before 15 weeks. A study conducted in 2017 has shown definitively that regardless of breeds when a domestic kitten is removed from their mothers prior to 8 weeks they have a disproportionate risk for aggression. If they are weaned after 14 weeks they are less likely to display anxiety linked behaviours like overgrooming and fearfulness. It is safe to say that kittens are usually removed 1 to 2 weeks prior to the date they are advertised to be rehomed.

Weaning is described as the removal of a kitten from a maternal cat influence. It does not need to be a kitten’s natural mother. A surrogate cat that is willing to take on the responsibilities of caring for the kitten is an acceptable replacement. More indepth reading may be found here The study shows that early weaning has a strong correlation to unwelcomed neurological as well as biological changes. It is important to understand that in a natural( nature, feral cats) setting with sufficient nutrition, kittens do not leave their mums before the age of 4 months ( 16 weeks). Due to our ignorance or the desire of owning a young cute kittens, some people acquire their kittens as young as 4 weeks old. Thinking that with scientific advancement in nutrition and copious online resources on integrating and caring for a young kitten, we are equivalent in our ability to care and socialise the kitten. Many rescue organizations and shelters recommend rehoming kittens at 9 weeks Fueled by advancement in the field of nutrition, we are able to successfully nurse neonates. However most kittens in such organisations were abandoned or rescued mainly from mothers there have sadly passed on. Many studies have concluded that without litter mates and a matriarch, a kitten may grow up physically healthy but lack the mental and emotional skills to successfully assimilate to a home and other pets

These unwelcomed behaviours start coming to light when the kitten reaches 6 months of age and co-incides with their time to neuter, giving rise to the misconception that neutering and spaying triggers an unwelcomed change in your kitten’s temperament. The study includes adults cats and concludes that cats that are never weaned, that grow up in a multi-cat home since birth has the highest probability of successful integration with other cats. Although we see this repeatedly in kittens that leave us older or as young adults, this also a good indicator when you decide to pick a rescue from a shelter.

A older adult cat that has been at the shelter with all the other kittens coming and going and is comfortable in the presence of all these will better assimilate to your home versus a young abandoned/ rescued kitten at 8 weeks of age.

In addition, the study also supports that kittens/ cats where possible should have a companion to prevent being socially deprived and thus display inappropriate behaviour. We should never leave a kitten alone for long hours. It is detrimental to their mental and eventually physical health. It really is a perfect excuse to get 2 at once or in close proximity to each other.

If you really have no plans on adding another cat into your household. It would be best to select an older kitten or opt for a calm adult. Although some adults may start off less affectionate they do eventually warm up and it really beats dealing with the behavioural issue that may never go away when adopting a kitten weaned before 14 weeks.